RE: Used Backup Tape to Re-Load??

["Meldrum, Janet(ESIC)" <janmeldr@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Karen,

I'm glad that you posted your reply to the list as I'm sure that a few of us
have had the same question -  "How do you know if your backup tapes would
work if you needed them?"  We wondered the same thing after another system
here crashed and it turned out that the backup tapes did not include all the
information that the backup process indicated they had.

At the time I discussed this question with an iii staff member. I came away
somewhat reassured that if the tapes are verifying ok then they are all
right. Thanks for sharing your successful experience of actually using the
tapes to reload data. It's another measure of reassurance, although I
sympathize with your difficulties and hope we never to have to use our
carefully prepared tapes.

Jan Meldrum
Earth Sciences Information Centre / Centre d'information sur les sciences de
la Terre
Natural Resources Canada / Ressources naturelles Canada
350 - 601 Booth St., Ottawa, ON  K1A 0E8
janmeldr@xxxxxxxxxx
Tel. (613) 996-0574; fax (613) 943-8742

-----Original Message-----
From: Karen Johnson [mailto:johnsonka@xxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: October 2, 2001 7:42 PM

Unfortunately we found ourselves in the position where we had to reload 
from tape some partial data loss  as well as reload the entire database 
after system crashes. The good news is that in both incidents restoration 
of data from backup tapes worked.  

Karen

At 04:23 PM 10/2/01 -0500, you wrote:
>I am interested in hearing from III libraries that have successfully used 
>your backup tape/s to restore your system.  What happened?  How smooth was 
>the re-load process?  How long did it take to be back in business?
>
>This question was prompted by some planning we're doing and a question 
>from a computer specialist asking, "How do you know if your backup tapes 
>would work if you needed them?"  

>Please respond to me directly, not to the list.  Thanks.
>====================================================
>Carol E. Eyler                ceyler@xxxxxxxxxx